When I first began eating healthy, I was consuming Diet Coke regularly. I loved it! But then I found out the harmful effects artificial sweeteners can have on my health.
Three of the artificial sweeteners you may be familiar with include
- Aspartame (Equal and NtraSweet)
- Saccharin (SugarTwin and Sweet’N Low) and
- Sucralose (Splenda
These artificial sweeteners are used in a variety of processed foods, soft drinks, powdered drink mixes, candies, jellies, and dairy products. They are touted as the sweeteners of choice to help you lose weight because they have virtually no calories. But, as some of you may know, they actually cause you to gain weight.
The promoters of these artificial sweeteners will also tell you that they are generally safe in limited quantities. But if man invents it in a laboratory, and it’s not created by God, I believe that my body is not going to know how to process it and it can damage my health.
Harmful effects on the body may include:
Research has shown that some artificial sweeteners may act as a neurotoxin and cause brain tumors, contribute to alzheimer’s disease, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, and depression. They may weaken your immune system, cause cravings, insulin insensitivity, and contribute to bladder or kidney problems. (see resources below).
One natural sugar that I avoid as much as artificial sweeteners:
- High fructose corn syrup
High fructose corn syrup is one of the biggest contributors to weight gain. It is found in numerous processed foods and drinks. It’s harmful effects, in addition to weight gain, may be a greater risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and arthritis.
For a healthy alternative I choose to include the following natural sweeteners:
- Stevia
- Coconut Sugar
- Raw Unfiltered Honey
- Raw Unrefined Sugar
- Maple and Molasses Syrups
If you want to learn more about the benefits of these natural sweeteners visit the following sources:
Dr. Mercola on weight gain and artificial sweeteners and The 4 Best, and the 3 Worst Sweeteners to Have in Your Kitchen.
Dr. Axe, The 5 Worst Artificial Sweeteners and The Top 10 Natural Sweeteners.
My choice to include these natural sweeteners is based mostly on the fact that God created them so they must be good for me. For instance, He told the Israelites that He was taking them into a land “flowing with milk and honey”. Why would God say that if honey is bad for you?
The fact is most honey has been over-processed by man, and yes it is bad for you. However, when it’s in it’s natural state, and not overeaten, it has a whole host of healthy qualities. According to current research (as indicated by the articles above) raw unfiltered honey is packed with antioxidants and may:
- help prevent cancer and heart disease
- act as an antifungal and antibacterial agent
- and provide energy.
Thanks for reading this. And please leave a comment below stating which artificial sweeteners you have decided to delete from your diet, and which healthy sweeteners you have decided to include.
